


My Perpetual Purple Sky

by Meowingham



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: A New Beginning
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Incomplete, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 15:53:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meowingham/pseuds/Meowingham
Summary: Vivian (Rachel/Rio) couldn't believe her eyes when she had taken in the beauty of Echo Village. It wasn't a large village by any means, and it was perfect for her! She enjoyed small towns and hated big crowds. But when the mayor explains his plan to renovate the town to bring in more shops and people, Vivian eventually gets roped into helping out. As the expanding village and its people grow on Vivian, she learns to appreciate the smaller things in life: independence, belongingness, friendship, and even love.
Relationships: Rachel | Rio/Sanjay | Selka (Harvest Moon)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I took the liberty of changing the main character's name, Rachel/Rio, to Vivian.
> 
> This is my first fanfiction, so please be aware of that when criticizing! ^_^
> 
> This story will be slow starting out, but will progressively get faster as Vivian helps with the town renovation, so I apologize in advance for anyone expecting immediate romance.
> 
> There will be recreational drug use (cannabis, maybe cigarettes) and some alcohol use as well later in the story. It'll be somewhat frequent, and will be noted at the beginning of the chapter - please be warned if you're not into reading that.
> 
> There may be some mature scenes, but I haven't fully decided on if I will write it or not. If I do decide to, the rating will change and I'll note it at the beginning of the chapter.

The spring sunshine was bright, and the lush green leaves on the riverside trees rustled gently in the wind. A warm, gentle breeze swept through a young lady's long, tousled, snow-white hair and grazed along her long-sleeved burgundy dress. Her wanderous gray eyes flickered in awe at the surrounding wildlife as she traversed the dirt path on her way to her new home with her alpaca-styled travelling bag trailing closely behind. Ducks, rabbits, monkeys, boars – she had never seen so many wild animals in one place! Excited to begin her journey, she quickened her pace.

Vivian was nearly at her destination: Echo Village. It had been an especially long journey, and frankly, she was exhausted. Her father, a former farmer, had all but left his dream to the youngest daughter of three. Instead of selling his old farm, he gave the deed to his youngest daughter, Vivian, who had always taken an interest in growing flowers, plants, and crops - not to mention her love of animals.

Vivian began to reminisce; she remembered that she would stare in awe at her father as he regaled his life as a farmer. Ever since his first story, she had taken an interest in the farm life. It seemed like the ideal profession for her; she loved growing things, and she loved taking care of animals! Her favorite animal of all was an alpaca, as shown off perfectly by her travelling bag, and life as a farmer will finally allow her to have one of her own.

Vivian glanced behind her to ensure her traveling bag was still in good shape. She would have hated anything happening to it; it was a gift from her mother, who pleaded with her not to move so faraway from family. Her father had convinced her mother that she was perfectly capable of living on her own, and of course, Vivian promised to write on the occasion.

Luckily, her traveling case was still in great condition! There were only a few leaves here and there clinging onto it, and a little man in red sitting on top of the bag. Vivian sighed in relief and faced forward again.

Wait ... A little man in red ... ?

Vivian quickly whipped her head back, looking around the top of her travelling case where she had seen the little man sitting. She stopped walking. Looking above, around, and underneath, the flustered woman found nothing.

Nothing.

... Nothing at all?

She must have been imagining things. Maybe she had too little sleep recently? Vivian _was_ running on three hours of sleep, and the night before that, four. She was just too excited to get back on the road this morning, for she was just a town over from her final destination. Maybe it would do her some good to stop for a short break, maybe even rest her eyes a bit.

Vivian made her way over to a tree off the dirt path away from most of the wildlife, but facing the nearby river. She pulled her traveling case to the side of the tree before gently sitting down against the tree, directly in front of the lulling river. She leaned against the trunk of the tree and, with her legs outstretched in front of her, she watched as the ducks glided gracefully across the river before finally closing her eyes and allowing them some much needed rest.

* * *

Dusk had quickly approached, evidenced by the beautiful swirl of a lavender and rose painted sky, and accompanied by a cool, yet pleasant breeze blowing across Vivian's face. This prompted her awake.

Vivian's eyes slowly fluttered open. She took in the beauty of the forest in the dusk light, then began to stretch. First her arms, her back, then her legs. She looked around; still no little men in sight. Vivian definitely must have imagined it. She decided to give a final look-around once more before slowly rising from her, surprisingly, comfortable sitting position. She grabbed her lightweight travelling bag by the handle and continued her trek down the dirt path. There was a sign just up ahead, right before a bridge.

Vivian made it to the sign and stopped to read it. According to the sign, Echo Village is just beyond the path after crossing the following two bridges. She continued on and came across the first, dirt-colored bridge which, unexpectedly, was in good shape. It was made of wood, but its structure was solid – it didn't creak or rock as Vivian stepped onto it. 

"Just a little bit farther!" Vivian exclaimed, although somewhat quietly, to herself.

Vivian followed along the dusty dirt path after crossing the riverside's central bridge. However, before she began to walk across the southern bridge, which happened to be the final bridge that she would need to cross to reach the village, two flowers in particular growing off the pathway had caught her eye.

There was something odd about them, though, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. They almost seemed... magical?

"Enough distractions," Vivian muttered to herself. "I'll have time to explore the forest and smell the roses when I'm settled in, so to speak..."

Determined to press on, Vivian ignored the weird feeling of wanting to get a closer look at them and crossed over the final bridge and continued on the path towards Echo Village.

As the forest cleared from the path, Vivian could see a few villagers talking together and a signpost among a large clearing ahead. Upon growing closer, she was able to read that she had finally made it to her final destination: Echo Village.

One of the villagers in the small group that were conversing together, an older gentleman, took notice of and began walking towards Vivian. He wore a capotain – a pilgrim-esque hat – with a small notepad and pencil comfortably tucked in by the ribbon that wrapped nicely around the bottom of the crown. His long, brown trenchcoat and dark orange tie flapped in the wind as he crept closer.

 _Thadump, thadump, thadump_.

Vivian took notice of his clothing that she couldn't see as well from a distance. He had worn, brown work boots that looked to be about a decade old. He was also wearing a white and blue, vertical-striped undershirt, along with brown suspenders that were holding onto his black trousers.

"This must be my father's friend," Vivian thought to herself. She wasn't an unexpected visitor, after all; she's to meet one of her father's old friends, who is to escort her to her new place of residence. It seems like he received her father's letter! She began to feel giddy as he closed the distance.

"Howdy there, girlie. We don't get many visitors 'round these parts; what can I do you for?" The older gentleman greeted the lady with his warm, southern accent, whilst taking off his hat and bowing out of courtesy, 

Vivian wasn't one-hundred percent positive this was her father's old friend she was meant to meet, but he definitely fit her father's description of him: Southern accent, gray hair although unkempt, high cheekbones, sharp chin, pointed beard and mustache, and about the same height as her father.

Determined to make a fantastic impression, she cleared her throat, gave her best smile, and, as politely as possible, responded.

"Hello, sir! My name is Vivian, and according to my father who used to live here long ago, I'm to –"

" _Please_ , stop that chicken!" 

A sudden, exasperated plea came from the northwestern side of the desolate village that interrupted her mid-sentence. Vivian and the other few villagers looked in the general direction that the voice erupted from. In the corner of her eye, she saw a fluffy (Or feathery; she wasn't entirely sure), black chicken dashing down the path that separated the bottom and top of the village. It only had four places to go: back the way it came, left towards a purple building, right towards a brown building, and straight towards Dunhill and Vivian.

Vivian glanced towards her right and seen a building that was a general store, as evidenced by the sign that had its hours of operation listed. It was a mostly brown building; mainly made of wood, but had a roof of thatch. The small building's wood paneling came halfway up the building and met with a cream, stuccoed finish. There were a couple of stepping stones leading up to the door that, strangely, had bars in the windows. The finishing touches of a red tapestry lightly decorated with a depiction of grass and flowers, and a few bonsai plants resting on each corner of the front of building, gave the store subtle life.

Vivian rolled up her sleeves and sauntered towards the general store that just so happened to be out of the chicken's line-of-sight. She was hoping the chicken hadn't seen her yet, as it would make catching the little chook much less of a headache. She met eyes with Dunhill, nodded her head towards the chicken, then began to sidle along the wood paneling of the right side of the building. Vivian was hoping Dunhill caught onto her plan.

As luck would have it, he did! The familiar clucking of a frantic chicken prompted Vivian to get ready and silently rehearse how she was going to pick up the chicken. The clucking began growing louder, and right as it sounded as if it was about to round the corner, Vivian quickly rounded the corner and scooped it up, ensuring that she held the chicken's feathers to its side to prevent it from flapping its wings frantically. As the chicken calmed down, she gently placed one of her hands underneath the chicken to properly support it before coming out from behind the general store, finding her place beside the older man who greeted her.

A worried, blond haired man sprinted down the same dirt pathway that the chicken came down. His worried expression transitioned into an expression of relief, but then confusion. Vivian looked at the other villagers who had the same puzzled expression – it seems that no one except the older man was aware of the newcomer's arrival. Her eyes made their way back over to the blond man who finally made his way over to Vivian and the older man.

"Thanks," the confounded male began, his burgundy eyes boring into her, "but do we know you?"

The once confident lady now felt apprehensive. Should she have helped him out? The younger man did seem anxious when he called for help, but now she's not so sure. Vivian didn't want to cause trouble; she only wanted to help! What if the villagers are angry at her and don't want her to stay? She planned on living here, enjoying the country life, growing and taking care of –

Vivian's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the older gentleman, who spoke up for the anxious girl and stepped towards the younger man.

"This here is Vivian, the youngest daughter of one of my oldest friends. She will be residing at the vacant farm south of the village." He pointed towards the south of the village, and the younger man's expression slightly softened. The older man then gestured towards Vivian and the younger man before continuing, "Since she will be living at the farm, you two will get to be acquainted before long. However, I'll be showing her around for today."

Vivian was baffled, but also incredibly thankful to him for speaking up. The girl can be confident, but she really isn't good at dealing with irritated or angry people. It's one of the reasons that she wanted to stay in a smaller town.

The clucking of the chicken she was holding brought her back to the present, away from her thoughts.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry, I... I thought you needed the help." Vivian gave a gentle smile before handing over the chicken she was holding to the blond-haired man. "Here... I'm sorry if I caused any trouble. Your chicken is very beautiful, though – this is actually the first time I've seen a chicken that looked like this."

"Thanks," the man muttered again as he looked over his chicken, presumably to make sure it was okay. "See ya," he managed to get out, although even more quietly than his thanks, before heading back in the direction he came.

Vivian felt her shoulders relax. She didn't realize that the village was a bit larger than she initially thought, but that was okay – it still seemed as if there weren't many people living here. The other two villagers made their way toward the general store, smiling at Vivian and the older man as they passed. They were both women, although one was elderly and the other appeared to be in her 30s or 40s. Vivian smiled back at them and gave a curtsey before they made their way inside the store.

"Sorry about that," the older man began. "Most of the people here are friendly, and we don't get too many visitors like I said earlier. Not everyone that comes through here have good intentions."

Vivian nodded in response.

"Forgive me, but I don't think I've properly made your acquaintance! My name is Dunhill, and I'm the mayor of this here village. Echo Village, to be exact. Before we get into any other trouble, let's head to the farm you inherited from your parents," Dunhill smiled at the girl as he gestured towards the farm once again.

They began to walk side-by-side down the village's dirt path that led to the farm. Vivian began to feel giddy once again; she was almost there, and she would finally be able to get a proper night's sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vivian gets to know a couple of the townspeople, explores the forest, and begins to feel a sense of belonging.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief mentions of cannabis; no usage yet.

Vivian awoke by a knock on her door. Or did a bird fly into the siding of her house? She wasn't quite sure, but she did have a gut feeling it was the mayor. She gradually got up from her bed and attempted to straighten her hair out a little before heading for her door. Sure enough, Dunhill was standing by her mailbox with a few newspapers bundled in his arm.

"Howdy there, Vivian!" Dunhill greeted the new farmer while bowing slightly. "Sorry if I woke you up this morning. I'm just here delivering the weekly newspaper. There's a lot of information in there that'll come in handy for a farmer, such as information on the upcoming weather, the town, and its forest."

"Oh, it's no problem at all, mister Dunhill. I understand," Vivian assured before pausing. "Although do we not have a dedicated mail-person? If not I could deliver the newspaper every week; I'm not doing–"

Dunhill put up his hand as a way of stopping her mid-sentence. "That's quite alright, Vivian. I've been delivering the newspapers for awhile now, and I'm still quite capable of handling the job." He flashed her a smile while stroking his mustache a bit. "Anyway, I'm going to head back into town and deliver the rest. You have a good morning, now."

"Goodbye, mister Dunhill! I'll see you around the village!" Vivian bid farewell to the mayor as he stepped off from her house and strode up the road back into the village.

Vivian closed her door and walked over to her bed before plopping down, then began to scan her room. She was given a calendar with all the upcoming events and birthdays, a bookshelf, a closet, a fridge and kitchen, a toolbox and a storage box, and even a diary! She planned on writing in her diary everyday; she loved keeping a record of what she does each day, since she suffers from short-term memory loss.

Vivian then began to think back on the previous day. Yesterday had been a very tiring day for her; she had spent the remainder of the day after arriving to the small village attempting to fix up her very own "new" farm by picking up weeds, branches, and rocks.

Dunhill had shown her what the villagers had done in preparation for her arrival: quite a few trees were chopped down, a couple fields of soil for growing crops were made, and there was even a little fencing around a small area. Overall though, there was still quite a lot of work that needed to be done. Her farmland was more vast than she had imagined, and this greatly pleased her. Vivian would have plenty of space for anything she wanted. She really wanted some farm animals, but she knew she'd have to get comfortable growing crops first. She needed money not just to buy the animals, but to take care of them, too.

Vivian's stomach growled. Sighing, the hungry lady quickly stood up and began properly stretching. She can't sit around; after all, money doesn't grow on trees. She needed to get to work finishing up her farm and making some money of her own. It would be a long process to get her farm how she wants it, but for now, she's set on starting out growing crops.

Vivian made her way over to her closet and pulled out her gardening outfit. She quickly got changed, and took a final look at herself in the mirror. She noticed her pre-rolled grass sitting on her nightstand from where she placed it the night before. Vivian stared back into the mirror at herself for half a minute. She really wasn't sure if she'd be alright today, but she'd rather be on the safe side. Vivian quickly grabbed her grass, sliding it gently in her back pocket, and headed out the door. She took a final look around her own farm before finally setting out in the direction of the village for supplies.

* * *

As Vivian walked into the general store, she was greeted by an older woman standing behind the counter.

"Hello there, welcome to the General Store!" The older woman stood a little taller to make eye contact with the customer.

"Hi there! We haven't been properly introduced yet," Vivian giggled and extended her hand out to the older lady. Once the woman shook her hand with a smile, Vivian continued. "My name is Vivian, and I'm the new farmer. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"What a pretty name, dear! My name is Hana. I'm the owner of this General Store. You're a farmer, you say?"

Vivian nodded in response, prompting Hana to continue, "I think we'll be seeing each other very often, then. I sell seeds, recipes, cooking ingredients, and other odds and ends that I happen to get in stock."

The older woman had such small eyes, but her warm smile was enough to make anyone like her. She seemed sweet as pie and reminded Vivian of her own grandmother.

Her own grandmother...

Vivian was finding it hard to stay focused on the present. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her grandmother. Hana was still smiling, but awaiting Vivian's response. It had been at least 15 seconds since Hana explained what she carried. All Vivian can picture right now is her grandmother's sweet smile. She should have talked with her more, tried to do more with her. She didn't do much together with her at all, now that she's thinking back.

30 seconds.

Vivian fought back tears before giving Hana the best smile she could. "You're right, we'll definitely be seeing each other more often. Maybe even every day!" Vivian laughed a little, insisting to herself that she's definitely in a good mood. "I have a good feeling we're going to be really good friends, Hana."

Hana's warm smile grew wider, and her eyes smiled as well. "Of course, dear! You can stop by anytime you would like. I only talk to Dunhill and Emma now, so I would really enjoy talking to someone new. Not that there is anything wrong with them; it just gets a bit boring when you can only talk to a few people. I'm sure you know what I mean, dear."

Vivian could only nod her head in response. Her mind still wasn't 100% in the present, and she was struggling to comprehend what Hana was saying. She knew she had to buy what she needed and leave as soon as possible.

Hana, still smiling, began ruffling through the items underneath her side of the counter. "It's alright to be a little nervous, dear. We were all new to our professions once!"

It was apparent that Hana had caught on: something was off, which snapped Vivian back to reality. Vivian nodded once again in response - she'd rather Hana think she was nervous about being the new farmer in town than explain what was on her mind right now. Maybe she'll confide to her some other time, when they better get to know each other.

Hana acknowledged Vivian's nod in response by continuing, "Well dear, it's the beginning of the Spring season, so I assume you're here to stock up on some seeds. Unfortunately, I wasn't expecting a farmer to turn up so suddenly, so I don't have any seeds in stock right now..."

Vivian could see Hana's smile fading, which brought her mood down even further. She was determined to see Hana smile again before leaving.

"Oh, that's quite alright! I understand, please don't worry about that. I would definitely be interested in buying some seeds from you in the future, once you do get some in stock!"

Vivian tried her best to assure Hana that she wasn't mad or upset that she couldn't buy any seeds today. To be honest, she was low on money anyway; she wasn't even sure if she would have been able to afford the seeds if they _were_ in stock!

"Thank you for being so understanding, dear." Hana's warm smile spread on her face once more, giving her a gentle and approachable appearance. "I put in an order for some new items just today, so I should be getting some new merchandise within the next few days."

Vivian returned the smile before bidding Hana farewell. "Thank you so much for your time. I'll definitely be stopping by to check what you have."

Vivian paused, then bit her lip. Since she isn't buying anything right now and she doesn't know Hana well, she knew she should leave so she isn't loitering.

"I suppose I should take a better look around the village since I didn't really get a chance to yesterday." Vivian cleared her throat and stepped back towards the door, raising her hand gently. "I'll see you around! Bye, Hana!"

Hana's smiling eyes and gentle swaying hand bid Vivian farewell. "Goodbye, dear. Stop by anytime!"

Vivian made it out of the General Store and walked toward the front of the building. She put her hand on the siding and sighed. That was definitely enough social interaction for one day. This seemed as if it was going to be a long day for her. Vivian looked around and decided that she'd take the path to the river and explore the town's forest. She desperately needed to forage and find some things to sell - she hated having little money. She began to trek into the river area while biting her lip.

* * *

Arriving at the river, Vivian gazed up into the sky. It was a beautiful day, and she honestly couldn't find anything bad about the weather. The wind was gentle and pleasant, the temperature was warm and comforting, the humidity was relatively low, and the sun was shining. It was essentially perfect, which delighted her. She loved taking walks - especially nature walks - on beautiful, pleasant days like this.

Vivian pulled out her phone from one of her back pockets and checked the clock: 12:26 in the afternoon. She had plenty of time to sight-see! Happily, the young lady walked along the bridge. Ducks quacked underneath the bridge as they glided along the surface of the river. Upon sight of Vivian, then quickly swam over to the other side of the river. Upon trekking off the path and into a grassy area, she discovered a few brown sparrows walking around in the healthy flowers and herbs. As soon as they locked sights with Vivian, however, they flew away into the nearby tree, almost as if waiting for her to leave. Looks like the animals are skittish of humans... at least new ones.

Vivian exhaled as she sat down in the patch of plant growth. There were a few small rocks and branches beside her, too. She carefully picked them up and placed them in her bag - she wanted to do her part ensuring that the forest would continue to flourish and remain lovely. She proceeded to lie down on the magnificent green grass and observe the clouds. The clouds were rolling across the sky at a gradual pace - almost unnoticeable. Vivian felt at peace here; it was a beautiful place to live, and she was ecstatic to be staying here in Echo Village. There was hardly anyone around to cause unnecessary problems, too; the people that she had met so far were good-natured, and she appreciated that a great deal.

What sounded like a whisper jolted Vivian from her thoughts. She quickly sat up and surveyed her surroundings, trying her best to pinpoint where she thought the sound came from. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary, though.

Vivian sat with her legs crossed and supported her head with her left hand as she softly muttered to herself, "Must be my imagination... Just like that little guy I saw on my travelling case the first day I arrived." She then remembered the two red and blue flowers that had drawn her in when she first arrived to the forest. Whipping her head around to observe them as they were located behind where she was sitting, she audibly gasped: Standing right in front of her was not one little person, but two, and they were in red and blue outfits!

Vivian quickly got up from her sitting position and backed away. There was absolutely _no way_ this was real. She was seeing things; she had to be! As Vivian was doubting her sanity, the two miniature persons gradually transitioned into the red and blue flowers she had seen the previous day. Startled, she crept a bit closer to get a better look at them. They looked like regular flowers: stems coming up from the ground, leaves, petals... She didn't understand what she was seeing, and honestly, it frightened her. Vivian had a weird growing feeling that she should touch the flowers, but she refrained from doing so. She was skeptical of what just transpired, and wasn't entirely sure if she was even safe.

As quickly as she stood up from her sitting position, Vivian walked away from the area and moved on to the next part of the forest, eager to leave the area and see what else this town has to offer.

As she reached the mountain area of the forest, she could feel herself calm down; she felt at peace once more. Vivian spent the remainder of her day bug-catching and foraging. She was intent on finding things to sell since she desperately needed more funds for her farm.

Vivian found a lot of honeycombs, herbs, mushrooms, flowers, weeds, branches, rocks, walnuts, and bamboo shoots. Quite proud of what she had found, she pulled her phone out and checked the clock again: 5:39 PM. Vivian was ready to wrap up her day and relax in her bed, so she made her way out of the forest and back into Echo Village.

Upon arriving back to the village, Vivian saw the middle-aged woman she had noticed the day before. As she grew closer to the lady, she took notice of Vivian and waved her over. Vivian was ready to be home, but she also didn't want to be rude, so she smiled and made her way over to the woman.

When she was within 15 feet of her, Vivian noticed the middle-aged woman's clothing: she wore clothes designed with apples. She had on an apple apron, and two apple pins - one in her hair, and one on her apron. The woman also had bright yellow, rubber gloves one would normally use to clean, with a cuffed hem decorated in a checkered red and white pattern. She had on a matching red and white checkered t-shirt underneath the apron, and bright yellow boots that matched her rubber gloves. Blue-gray capris were worn underneath her apron, and the finishing touch of her light-blue, polka-dotted handkerchief used as a hat complimented her outfit. Her hair was short, slightly curly, and almond colored.

Finally making it an arm's length from her, Vivian greeted the woman with a friendly grin. "Hi there, I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Vivian. Sorry in advance, but I'm not much of a social person, so I thought it'd be best to look around the village first." Her voice was fading, growing to almost a whisper by the end.

Emma waved her hand at Vivian and gave her a genial smile, "Oh, that's alright! My name is Emma. I'm actually the shipper here; I take what everyone places in the shipping box in front of my home..." Emma gestured towards the box beside her bright purple fencing before continuing, "...And I bring back money made by selling the goods to the buyers!"

Vivian's eyes grew wide. What was she expecting to do, sell everything to Hana? There's no way Hana's store would be able to stay afloat.

Vivian placed both hands to her upper legs and bowed to Emma. "Ah! Thank you so much for letting me know. I actually picked up a few things in the forest that I planned on selling. Should I just drop them in now?"

"Sure Vivian, I'll bring you your earnings back in the morning. Here, I'll show you what you do," Emma motioned for Vivian to follow her to the shipping box.

Emma continued to explain how the shipping box worked. You put everything you wish to sell together and write your name so that Emma will know whose stuff belongs to who. Vivian understood quite quickly and began unloading her goods into the shipping box.

"Thank you, Emma. I appreciate you helping me and doing this. I figured I'd sell everything to Hana, but now I see that isn't viable for her..." Vivian's voice trailed off as she gave her appreciation to Emma.

"It's no problem at all, Vivian! Actually, Hana used to buy everyone's unwanted goods, but she had to stop. She's getting older after all, and it was getting hard for her dealing with the heavier items by herself," Emma paused for a brief moment, her finger to her head as if she was thinking about something. "Especially since her husband had left the village to help take care of their grandchildren. She gets a bit lonely now, so I go over and see her nearly every day whenever I have free time." 

Vivian was a little shocked at this news. She didn't realize Hana had a husband or grandchildren, but then again she had only just met her today. She didn't believe she should have been left here essentially on her own, either - anything could happen to her!

Vivian shuffled her feet a bit before replying to Emma. "Wow, I didn't know any of that... I planned on stopping by Hana's home on the occasion just to chat with her here and there. She reminds me of my own grandmother a bit."

Emma grinned happily at Vivian, ecstatic that she cared about Hana this much already. "That would be wonderful, Vivian. Hana would be so happy to have someone new to chat with."

Nodding in response, Vivian noticed that it was getting harder to see the details in Emma's face and outfit. It was getting dark, and Vivian started to become self aware of the aches in her arms and legs. She didn't want to go home just yet, but she knew she should.

"Sorry to cut this conversation short, Emma, but I need to get back home. My body is aching all over and –"

Vivian was cut off mid-sentence once more, with Emma interrupting her with an audible gasp.

"Oh my goodness, Vivian, I am so sorry for not realizing! It is late indeed, and I'm sure you're exhausted from your journey here and taking in all the new sights and people. Please, don't feel bad - go on home and get some rest!" Emma began pushing Vivian a bit towards her farm, to Vivian's astonishment.

Vivian giggled at Emma before turning around to say goodbye. "Thanks for understanding, Emma. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yes, see you tomorrow!" Emma waved goodbye to Vivian before turning to head into Hana's home.

On Vivian's trek back to her farm, she began to wonder if Emma had any family of her own. She was beautiful, and an absolute joy to talk to. She made a mental note to ask more about Emma. Surprisingly, Vivian felt like she belonged in this town - as opposed to her hometown, where she felt alien. Normally, Vivian wouldn't want to socialize with people, but she was starting to realize that she wanted to get to know the people in Echo Village. Everyone had been exceptionally kind to her, aside from the blond man with the runaway chicken, and she wanted to repay the kindness shown to her.

Arriving at her farm, Vivian made her way inside her farmhouse. She quickly put down her bag and slowly strode over to her bed before lying on her back. Feeling something weird in her back pocket, she jumped up, realizing she had forgotten, and pulled it out.

Vivian gazed down at her pre-rolled joint, rolling it between her fingers. When she left this morning, she was almost certain that she'd need it. Now, though, she was certain that she didn't. She placed it on her nightstand before changing into her pajamas, turning off her lights, and falling into a deep sleep.


End file.
